1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber/glass tube fusion-spliced structure and an optical fiber assembly including the structure and a glass tube used in the structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the fields of medicine and machining, optical fibers for transmission of light such as laser beam are widely used in medical surgeries and machining process. In some cases, optical fibers including a light output end is covered with a glass tube whose one end is sealed are used (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,428,699, Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 60-108804 and Japanese Laid Open Publication No. 10-155806).
However, when an optical fiber is fusion-spliced with a glass tube to form a united body, the optical fiber is structurally changed a lot and, as a result of such a major structural change, incident characteristics of the optical fiber are influenced.